The Gatekeepers
by RonnyBravo the Breadghost
Summary: We play through Pokémon all of the time and we never seem to acknowledge those people standing in the gates that we pass through. What are they thinking? A collection of oneshots delving into the daily lives of the gatekeepers of Kalos, and maybe in later chapters, other regions.


Chapter 1: Couriway Town to Route 19

She was just a simple gatekeeper. She watched every day as people passed through the indoor passageway to Route 19. It was an easy job. All she had to do was answer questions about what was to come on the route ahead and make sure no one was causing trouble in the gate. At night she would go back home into Couriway Town and let the security cameras do the job. It was a fairly normal life. She enjoyed it because she got to meet so many interesting people. She always imagined what the trainers who passed through were like.

She dressed in a black and white uniform and tied her blonde hair into a bun in preparation for another day at work. She stood there at the reception for a while. Not many people came through. She didn't mind. She enjoyed days that were quiet. As noon passed, a young woman and a Furfrou walked into the gate and sat down on the couch that was provided for weary travelers. The gatekeeper watched as she removed her shoes and checked her feet. She then began to talk to her Furfrou.

"Goodness Puffy!" she exclaimed haughtily and yet playfully, "You had a lot of energy today. My feet are killing me." She brought her left foot to her lap and caressed it with her hand.

"Blisters everywhere…" she said. The Furfrou proceeded to lick her foot. She patted it on the head and it gave a soft bark. The gatekeeper smiled.

"Next time, I'll lead," said the woman, "We'll just go for a quick shopping trip in Lumiose City. And then we'll get your fur trimmed. No need to come all the way out here to this…" She stopped and looked over at the gatekeeper.

"Um… excuse me ma'am," she said, "Do you know what this place is called?"

"The town?" the gatekeeper questioned.

"Yes," said the woman.

"This is Couriway Town," said the gatekeeper, "Town of rushing waterfalls. They're a huge tourist attraction."

"Oh yes, I saw them," said the woman, "They were very beautiful." The conversation dropped to silence for a few moments. Then the gatekeeper spoke again.

"Where are you from?" she asked.

"Coumarine City," the woman replied. The gatekeeper was taken aback. Coumarine was quite a long ways away from Couriway Town.

"You've certainly walked far," she said, a bit shocked.

"Yes," said the woman, "I let Puffy here lead the walk today. He got a bit excited I think." She giggled a little as she petted her Furfrou.

"So you live here?" the woman asked.

"Yes," said the gatekeeper, "Most of us do live in the nearest town."

"Must be nice living a quiet life out here…" said the woman, "I don't get much quiet time living in a city."

"It can be nice," said the gatekeeper, "We have a pretty tight-knit community."

"Do you have a hotel?" the woman asked, "I don't think we'll be walking back to Coumarine City today."

"Of course," said the gatekeeper, "Just up the hill if you head back into town."

"Thank you," said the woman, "It's going to be hard walking back all that way. I need rest."

"That you will," said the gatekeeper. The woman sat for a few more moments. She petted her Furfrou again. Then she stood up.

"I should go check in now," she said after stretching and putting her shoes back on. The gatekeeper nodded.

"Thank you for your company," said the gatekeeper. The woman nodded. As she turned to leave, the gatekeeper thought of something and spoke up again.

"It reminds me of the story about the Magikarp climbing the waterfall," she said aloud. The woman and her Pokémon turned around.

"Huh?" she asked.

"There's a folklore we have here," the gatekeeper said, "About a golden Magikarp that one day appeared on the hook of a fisherman. The fisherman disappeared into his house for a few days and when he came out, he claimed that the Magikarp had swum all the way from the far off Kanto region."

"That's amazing…" said the woman.

"He declared that it was the strongest Magikarp in the world and to prove it, he threw it back in the river," the gatekeeper continued, "Everyone was shocked. No one had ever seen a Magikarp that was golden before and the fisherman of all people had thrown it back. But the fisherman said to just watch. The Magikarp, instead of swimming downstream, further into Kalos, swam back upstream and up the waterfall with ease. It was never seen again. Still to this day, it is believed that it swam all the way back to Kanto."

"That actually happened?" the woman asked, "The Magikarp actually swam up the waterfall?"

"As though it was as level as the river," said the gatekeeper, "Or so people say. I was just thinking… you came such a long way and now have to return. It's encouragement I guess. Stay strong. Keep walking. Not many have the endurance to walk so far." The woman smiled.

"Thank you," she said. She then left the gate and headed back into Couriway Town. The gatekeeper leaned on the counter to rest her feet. She smiled to herself. She enjoyed that story. It reminded her that even those who seemed to have little place in the world could do great things. According to folklore, the weakest Pokémon in existence had swum all the way from Kanto and then had swum up a waterfall in order to return. Surely she, an ordinary gatekeeper, had a greater ability?

* * *

**A/N: So I was replaying through Pokémon X and walked through the Couriway Town gate and couldn't help but notice the gatekeeper just standing there. I began to wonder what those gatekeepers are always doing just standing there. So here you go! And as you can see, this is only chapter 1, so I plan to do more of these. So by all means, leave a review so I can improve upon this in the future. **


End file.
